Co-generation power system for supplying electricity to an air-water recovery system

ABSTRACT

A mobile, self-propelled platform, which includes an enclosed trailer containing a portable air-water recovery system, is disclosed. This trailer includes a wind turbine mounted outside of the closed trailer environment, and adapted for recovery of energy from an exhaust air stream that is vented from within the enclosed trailer environment. The energy generated from such exhaust air stream is used to supplement traditional power sources associated with the operation of water generation process. The energy recovered from the exhaust air stream is projected to reduce the overall operating cost of the air-water recovery system by least 25%, based upon its current energy consumption needs. This system has application to other environments in which a force air stream is produce incident to operation of a primary process, as for example, where a high pressure, air dryer is used to remove moisture from a product, or to accelerate a curing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an energy recovery system for use in conjunction with a portable water recovery facility. More specifically, the invention is directed to the use of a dry air exhaust from an air-water recovery facility to propel at least one air turbine powered electrical generator associated with such facility.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of air turbine powered electrical generators for harnessing wind energy and conversion thereof to electrical power is well-known. Typically, such air turbines are mounted on a post at a fixed location, and further provided with a vane to position the blades of the turbine into the wind or air stream, U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,965 (to Bartlett, issued Oct. 5, 2005) being representative of this class of device.

Air turbine powered generators have also been adapted to mobile platforms, and the turbine blades propelled by an air stream created by the relative movement of the platform over the ground. Thus, the faster the relative movement of the platform, the greater the velocity of the air stream against the air turbine, and the consequent greater amount of electricity produced, U.S. Pat. No. 6,838,782 (to Vu, issued Jan. 4, 2005) being representative of this class of device.

The electrical power needs in developing countries are often inadequate to supply basic services required to both sustain life and for sanitation purposes. Similar needs are encountered by government and military personnel who operate in these developing countries. Solar power, although becoming increasing more cost effective, is still inadequate to provide substantial energy demands in industrial and military environments, particularly, where the environment may shift from one remote location to another. Thus, fixed power generating devices, e.g. solar panels, wind turbines, are impractical and otherwise inadequate because of the obvious dependency upon the natural cycles of the sun and the wind.

This shortcoming in power delivery is also problematic for portable air-water recovery systems, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,989 (to Reidy, issued Apr. 20, 1993. In a typical portable air-water recovery system, of the type described by Reidy, a large volume of air is forced over a condenser, the moisture in the air collected on the condenser, in the form of a condensate, and the condensate processed within the recovery system for further purification. Each one of these steps involves a distinct processing phase, and a module designed to perform each phase. Depending upon microprocessor control parameters, each of these modules can be operated concurrently, or sequentially, so as to minimize the power requirements at any given point in time.

Up to now, the power demands of such portable air-water recovery systems have been met almost exclusively with a diesel powered electrical generator. This arrangement obviously requires continuous operation of the diesel powered electrical generator for each of the distinct modules of the recovery system to operate, and consequently requires substantial fossil fuel consumption. Accordingly, both cost and logistical requirements of these systems has limited their application to emergency environments and military applications, where cost and fuel supplies are subordinate to the necessity of having an adequate supply of potable water.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need to improve economies of operation of such portable air-water recovery systems to increase their acceptance in more traditional environments and to thereby improve their competitive appeal relative to other water recovery systems (e,g, reverse osmosis).

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of this invention to remedy the above as well as related deficiencies in the prior art.

More specifically, it is the principle object of this invention to provide a hybrid power supply system for generating electricity within a portable energy consumption environment.

It is another object of this invention to provide a system for co-generation of electrical energy by means of a wind turbine coupled to either operational equipment or to a battery bank to store such electricity for later use.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a portable platform having both a diesel powered electrical generator and a wind turbine, which is coupled to an exhaust stream produced from equipment, that is powered by the diesel powered electrical generator.

It is still yet another object of this invention to provide a portable air-water recovery system wherein the dry air exhaust is used to propel a wind generator electrically coupled to a portable air-water recovery system, or to battery bank that is electrically coupled to the portable air-water recovery system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and related objects are achieved by providing a mobile platform, preferably a self-propelled mobile platform, upon which is located an enclosed trailer containing a portable air-water recovery system. In one of the preferred embodiments of this invention, this enclosed trailer includes at least one, and preferably, a series of inlets in the front and/or rear ends thereof to permit moisture laden air to be drawn into the trailer by an air impeller or blower, located within the trailer. This moisture laden air, upon entering the trailer, is directed into and through a condensation module of a portable air-water recovery system. As the moisture laden air is drawn into the condensation module, moisture is extracted from the air. After the air passes over a condenser within the condensation module, its is expelled from the module at a relatively high velocity.

In the preferred embodiments of this invention, this exhaust air is ducted to an exhaust passage in the trailer roof, and deflected onto the blades of a wind turbine. In the preferred embodiments of this invention, the wind turbine is in a fixed position relative to the exhaust air stream in order to insure directional channeling of the optimum force/angle of the exhaust air stream relative to the blades of the wind turbine. The blades of the wind turbine can be in a traditional windmill-like array; or, alternatively, arranged horizontally, in a paddle wheel-like array, relative to a rotating hub. The rotating hub can be engaged or disengaged to an axle which in turns transfer/translates the rotary energy of the turbine blades to a “genset” for production of electrical power. The electricity generated by this wind turbine can be used to concurrently one or more of the modules within the air-water recovery system, or to charge a battery bank within the trailer, and stored for use at a later time.

In either case, a substantial amount of energy is produced/co-generated, which materially reduces the overall consumption of diesel fuel, and consequently the cost of operation of the system, relative to the volume of water recovered per unit of energy consumed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art configuration of a mobile air-water recovery system mounted upon a flat bed truck.

FIG. 2 depicts an energy recovery system of this invention, which utilizes a roof mounted windmill-like wind turbine generator on the roof of the enclosed trailer, for co-generation of electrical power from an exhaust air stream produced by a portable air-water recovery facility located within an enclosed trailer.

FIG. 3. depicts a perspective view, in cut-away, of an air-water recovery system of the type that can enclosed with trailer depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 depicts an energy recovery system of this invention which utilizes a roof mounted, paddle wheel, wind turbine generator on the roof of the enclosed trailer of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION INCLUDING PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The Figures which accompany this application, and referenced herein, depict a representative embodiment of the energy recovery system adapted for use in conjunction with a portable air-water recovery facility. In the embodiments of this invention illustrated in these Figures, one or more components of the energy recovery system may appear in more than one Figure. Accordingly, components which are common to more than one Figure are assigned a common reference numeral for continuity of description and ease of understanding.

FIG. 1 depicts the prior art, specifically, a portable air-water recovery system (10) mounted on a flat bed truck (12). The basic components of this system (10) include a source of diesel fuel (14), a diesel generator (16) for production of electricity, a housing (18) containing the functional components of the air-water recovery system and a reservoir (20) for collection of the potable water produced by the air-water recovery system.

As depicted in greater detail in FIG. 2, an air-water recovery system (10) is enclosed within an enclosed trailer (22). In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, three such air water recovery system (10, 10′, 10″) are operated in tandem within the enclosed trailer (22). Not shown in this figure is the auxiliary diesel powered electric generator and diesel fuel tank, similar to that utilized in FIG. 1. Air is drawn into the enclosed trailer, in the direction indicated by the arrows on each of the ends of the trailer, channeled and circulated through the air-water recovery units (10, 10′, 10″), and, thereafter, expelled from the enclosed environment of the trailer through a vent (24) located in the trailer roof (26). Each of these vents (24) are further provided with directional means (e.g. vanes, tubes and the like) (26), so to precisely deflect the exhaust air stream onto the windmill-like blades (28) of the roof mounted wind turbines (30, 31, 32) for optimum windmill generating force, and thereby maximum energy recovery.

Within the enclosed trailer environment of FIG. 2, are housed multiple air-water recovery units (10, 10′, 10″). As illustrated in FIG. 3, each air-water recovery units (10) is separately contained within its own housing (34), which, in turn, is itself divided into three distinct functional areas or modules: a condensation module (36), a controller module (38) and a purification module (40). The condensation module (36) comprise an inlet (42), a condenser (44), a blower (46) and an exhaust (48). In operation, the blower (46) draws moister laden air into the condensation module (36) through the inlet (48), and over a chilled coil (50) within the condenser (44). Upon extraction of water from the moisture laden air, the blower (46) expels the air through an outlet (48) at the opposite end of this module. This exhaust can be ducted directly, or combined with other exhaust air streams from additional air water recovery units within the trailer, before it is expelled through vents (24) in the roof of the trailer where it is deflected by a deflector (26) within the roof vents (24) onto the blades (42) of a windmill-like turbine generator (44). This deflector (40) is shown as including one or more tubes/ducts for directing the forced air exhaust onto the turbine generator blades (28, 28′, etc) at the optimum angle to attain maximum force on such blades and, thus, maximum energy recovery.

In one of the embodiments of this invention, which is illustrated in FIG. 4, the trailer roof mounted wind turbine of choice comprises a paddle wheel driven turbine generator (50) wherein the blades (52, 52′, etc) of the of the paddle wheel (50) comprise a horizontal array, arranged in parallel, upon the surface of cylinder (54). This cylinder, in turn, can be mechanically coupled to, or directly drive a the armature (not shown) of the wind turbine. The electricity produced in this fashion can be used to supplement the diesel powered generator of the air-water recovery system, or simply stored in battery banks (not shown) and used at a later time.

Because of the relatively efficiency of the modern wind turbines, the energy recovery from the exhaust stream, results in a substantial reduction in fossil fuel consumption. It is emphasized that these economies are realized without dependence upon natural phenomenon (sunlight and wind), thus, provide a reliable and predictable means for co-generation of electrical power. The foregoing arrangement, thus, provides for recovery of substantial energy from an exhaust air stream that would otherwise be discarded.

This co-generation capability has been illustrated within the environment of an air-water recovery system, however, also has additional application to other similar processes, which both depend on traditional power sources and produce an exhaust air stream incident to such process. Another such comparable process would typically involve utilizing large quantities of air is a process requiring the use of a forced air dryer, or other forced air systems, that produce an exhaust air stream.

The foregoing description, thus, is intended to but illustrative of one of the preferred embodiments of this invention, does not, nor is intended to delineate the scope or other possible applications of this invention, which is set forth in the following claims. 

1. A system for co-generation of electricity which includes: (a) a source of electrical energy to supply power to a process wherein an air stream is generated within an enclosed environment; (b) means for directing said air stream, from within said environment, through an exhaust port provided in said enclosed environment; (c) a wind turbine generator having an array of turbine blade positioned proximate to said exhaust port; and (d) means for deflecting said air stream from said exhaust port onto said wind turbine generator so as to cause said wind turbine generator to produce electricity.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is mobile by virtue of its integration within a self-propelled conveyance.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said air stream is generated incident to operation of an air-water recovery system.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said wind turbine includes paddle wheel like array of turbine blades.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein said wind turbine include windmill like array of turbine blades.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes one or more battery banks for storage of electrical energy produced by said wind turbines.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a modular air-water recovery system, and power from said wind turbine is electrically coupled to one or more modules of said air-water recovery system.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a dryer and said wind turbine is driven by exhaust air from said dryer. 